This is Just a Name
by MaraudingMuggle
Summary: An AU where the Potters were not targeted by Lord Voldemort. How does the world change when there's not just a chosen one, but a chosen family? Please R&R!
1. A Different Kind of Family

**This story was written in conjunction with my friend Olivia. Okay just to clarify some of this before the story takes off. This is a _complete_ Alternate Universe to canon. In this Universe, Molly and Arthur were part of the Order of the Phoenix and it wasn't just the Potter family that the prophecy could have been targeted to. Remus and Sirius are not a couple, but they are raising Ginny and Percy together and that is explained in a different chapter. I hope you all like it. Please give the chapter a full read and chance before you click out of it. Thanks! WE DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER NOR IT'S CHARACTERS. Enjoy!**

* * *

20 August 1987

Dear journal,

Hi I am Ginny. I am six. My brother Bill got this journal for me at a store. I love when we go to the stores. We are all together then. We live with other people but we are still family.

Remus needed to buy stuff from the smelly shop. He says its for his headaches. He gets them every month. Sirius sends me and Percy to stay with one of the others for it every month. Everyone is worried when Remus gets headaches.

People stared at us in the stores. No one tells me why they do this. I think its because of my hair. Sirius says that it looks like fire when I dance. People whisper when we walk by. I don't like it when they do that. Dinner is ready, I have to go.

Ginny closed the journal that she had gotten for her sixth birthday from Bill and tucked it into the top drawer of her desk. The time on her clock read 10:18 and she wasn't leaving until 11:30. If she remembered correctly, she was staying with Lily and James for the weekend. Just as she was pushing her chair back from her desk, she heard the telltale soft rap of Remus' knock on her door.

"Come in!" Ginny swiped her brush from the desk and started to pull it through her hair, meanwhile using her free hand to pat around the surface of the wood for a hair tie.

Remus leaned himself against the doorway and held back a snicker as he watched the girl he thought of as a daughter trying to get herself ready. "You know, Ginevra, that you have a box of hair ties on your dresser, correct?"

A slight flush spread onto Ginny's cheeks and she muttered, "Oh um, yeah. Yeah I knew that."

"I was just coming up to make sure you were all packed to go to James and Lily's?"

"About that… You see, I still have a whole hour to get ready and I don't need all that much! I still have a dresser at the Manor," the little redhead grinned sheepishly up at Remus and frowned down at her.

"Ginny, you need to get your bags together. I don't want to be dropping you and Percy off late. You know that it's rude to put everyone else behind time. I'll be coming back up in forty minutes and if you're still not packed, you'll be in trouble, little miss."

"Fiiiine. I'll see you soon then," Ginny stomped her way over to Remus and used all of her weight to try and push him out of her room. "Come on! I can't get ready with you watchin' me like that!"

Remus laughed at her antics before he raised his arms in surrender and retreated from the yellow room. He moved two doors down in the hallway and looked through the open door to see Percy propped up against the back of the bed, reading yet another book on his bed.

"Hey, Perce. Are you all packed?" Remus walked over and sat down on the soft mattress, placing his hand onto Percy's foot to draw his attention from the story he was reading.

Percy lifted his book over his head so he could look down the length of the bed at Remus. "Yes. I've been packed since yesterday." He immediately brought his eyes back to the text and Remus smiled at the boy's love for reading. He pushed off of the bed and left the room, not that Percy even noticed.

The stairs creaked as Remus made his way down and he made a mental note to charm them to be quieter later. He stopped in the living room to make sure that there was enough floo powder to get them to the Potter's house before he made his way into the adjacent room.

Sirius poked his head out of the fridge when he heard Remus enter the kitchen. "Anything to drink, Moony?"

Remus shook his head no and leaned back against the counter. The full moon was coming up in a few days and it wasn't hard to see the effect that it was having on him. The tired bags under his eyes were prominent and the weariness to his stature was causing him to pause for break after every strenuous activity. Sirius pulled a muggle brand soda out of the fridge and kicked the door shut with his ankle. He went and sat the the table, gesturing to the chair across from his for Remus to take. They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Remus started to speak his mind.

"It's wild to think that it's really been six years. I mean, watching them grow is crazy enough, but I never thought this far into the future when we agreed to take them in, you know?"

Sirius took a sip of his drink before revealing a guilty smile, "I feel so bad for thinking of them as my kids, but I can't think of them any other way. I know, logically, that they're Molly and Arthur's, but I just can't imagine not having raised them ourselves."

Remus nodded along to Sirius' confession, "Do you think we were crazy when we agreed to take them in?"

"Definitely. But do I regret it for a second? Not in the slightest."

Remus nudged Sirius across the table and tried to shake his unspoken comment out of him. "What's eating at you?"

There was a pause as Sirius tried to articulate his question, "Do you think that they would be happy with how we've done? Molly and Arthur, I mean."

"I don't know. There isn't any way to know. I don't think that they would've liked how we split up the kids, but I think that they would've known it was necessary. And they're healthy, happy. I want to believe that they know we did the best we possibly could. But, Sirius, I truly do not know. I'm sorry."

"I was afraid you would say something like that. Honest Professor Lupin-never can tell a lie," the joking smile on Sirius' face was very obviously forced and Remus sighed, knowing he hadn't helped to appease his friend's worries.

"I never will understand why all of you insist upon calling me 'professor.' Look, Padfoot, we couldn't do any better than what we have. We went into this with zero knowledge. We took in a newborn and a five-year-old. And that's without even mentioning the….other issues… that we learned to live with. And with that, I have to make sure that Gin has actually finished packing her bags. The little minx didn't have a single thing ready," Remus shook his head in exasperation before his muscles tensed as he prepared to push himself from his chair. Sirius caught sight of this and his hand darted forward to lightly push Remus back into his seat.

"I've got her. You rest up. I can handle a six-year-old girl."

Remus allowed himself to be pushed back down, "I'm going to let this happen, but I seriously doubt that you actually can."

Sirius laughed his way up the stairs. He knocked on the door and called, "Pizza delivery for a fiery, redhead!" He pushed the door open to the sound of the Ginny's giggles and his eyes widened when he saw the catastrophic mess the floor of her room had become. "Silly girl, what have you done!"

Ginny looked confusedly up at him, "I packed?" She proudly pointed at the neatly-packed, little suitcase on her bed.

"Funny enough, I was actually talking about the huge mess all over your room. It looks like a tornado blew through here!"

"Oh. Well I couldn't decide what to pack so I took out everything so I could look at it all. Was that wrong?" Ginny bit her lip and looked at the array of clothes on her floor. "Should I clean them up?"

"Yes. You really, really should. Remus is going to blow a gasket if he sees this."

"Blow a gasket? What does that mean?"

"It's not important. You get to work helping me fix this mess," Sirius bent down to start picking up the mini jumpers and folding them to be put away.

"Can't you just magic it up?" Ginny grumbled as she started picking through the piles of clothes.

"I'm not good at household charms-that's Remus. And there's no way I'm calling him up here to help out. Work, work, work, little one."

It was 11:25 now and Sirius was just folded the last pair of shorts and tucking them into the dresser when Remus stepped into the room. He looked around, confused, before his gaze settled on Sirius, "What's taking you so long?"

Sirius cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean? I was just spending some quality time with my best girl."

Remus' eyes narrowed, "Yes, of course." He looked behind Sirius to see the room in perfect condition and little Ginny just sitting on her bed, diary in hand, with the suitcase sitting on the floor in front of her. "Well, it's time to be going then. Sirius, should you fetch Percy, or should I?"

"I've got the squirt," Sirius stepped around Remus, to go retrieve Percy, first stopping to grab Ginny's bag.

Remus watched Sirius walk out before looking at Ginny, "What's he hiding? Did he pack for you?"

Ginny shook her head from side to side, making her hair swing around her face and locking an overly innocent smile into place, "Nope. I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout."

"Hmm are you sure? You really don't know what Sirius is hiding?" Right as Remus asked the question, Sirius walked past, Percy in a potato-sack hold over his shoulder, bags levitating behind them.

"I'm not hiding anything, Remus! Now come on or we'll be late!"

* * *

Lily was busy scolding Harry and Ron for stealing James' wand to turn their cat, Cheshire, different colors when she heard Sirius' floo call. The poor animal's coat was missing chunks of fur and different patches of color littered her body. With the cat still in her arms, Lily walked her way over to one of the dens and pushed the door ajar with her back. She set Chesire down on one of the cushy chairs and quickly slipped her wand out of her sleeve to place a freezing charm on the animal to keep it from escaping before she could fix him. She then waved her wand in a complicated manner to release the wards on the floo so that Remus, Sirius, and the kids could come through. Sirius came through first, little Ginny on his hip and her pink suitcase in hand. Ginny started to wriggle and squirm, trying to escape Sirius' grasp so she could pounce on Lily.

"Lily!"

"Hey there, Jitterbug!" Ginny finally got free and ran straight into Lily's outstretched arms. "My my! It seems as though you've grown five feet since I last saw you! I thought you swore to stay little forever!"

"I can't stay little forever! I'm not nearly grown enough! I need to be big so I can be awesome at quidditch!" Ginny pulled away from Lily's embrace and her eyes landed on the cat. "Cheshire! What happened to you? You're so pretty and colorful!"

Lily and Sirius both laughed at Ginny's excitement and Lily then turned her attention to Percy and Remus who had come through the floo while she was busy with the little girl.

"Hello Percy. What book have you got there? Oooh _Lord of the Flies_? That's a great one. Did Remus set you up with it?"

Percy smiled widely at her and began to rattle on about the book. Remus went to try and reverse the spellwork on Cheshire and Sirius slipped out of the room in pursuit of his best mate. When he found James, he was teamed up with Harry playing chess against Ron.

"Wow, Prongs. Can't even beat a seven-year-old kid at chess without the help of your son? And the two of you are losing, yet. How sad you've become in your old age." Sirius strode into the room and fell back into yet another cushy chair.

"Padfoot, you're the same age as I am. I'm actually a couple months younger than you. So if anyone here is in their 'old age,' it's you, you mutt." James then reached across the board to move his knight and Ron's hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him from making the movie. Ron then moved the pawn and smirked at James' colored cheeks.

"You wound me, James. Wound. I can't even look at you, you've broken my heart so."

"Geez, Sirius. Stop being such a drama queen. You're going to freak out the kids." Remus pushed past Sirius and greeted the two boys who were watching in amusement. He sank onto the couch and Sirius and James shared a quick, dejected glance as they realized the weariness of Remus' posture.

"Please, Moony. The kids have been living with James. After seeing that face everyday, nothing can freak them out."

"Are you insinuating that I'm not a beautiful man, Sirius? Is that what's happening right now?"

"A beautiful man? Please, James," Lily, Ginny, and Percy joined the everyone else in the room, the last with his arms full of new books.

"What is everyone trying to get at here?" James brought his hands to his chest in mock shock and wildly flung his head from side to side so that he could get a look at all of the people in the room.

"Good Merlin, James. You're a horrible example for the kids. You see what he acts like?" Lily said, turning to face the children. "This is the opposite of who you should aim to be like. Take note."

James glared at his wife before he pushed out of his chair, "I'm going to get a start on dinner. The elves treat me better than my own family."

Lily scoffed at James' childishness and moved to take his former seat. Harry looked at his mom pleadingly when she sat down and Lily sighed, "Harry, I'm not your father. I'm not going to help you cheat against Ron. You'll never be a good chess player if you can't play the game on instinct." Lily ruffled his already messy hair and watched him move his knight. It was an okay choice, but he really should've moved his queen instead.

Sirius and Remus soon grew bored with watching the game of chess, so they left the room to help James with dinner. They found him in the spacious kitchen, surrounded by elves trying to take over for him. Sirius and Remus couldn't help but laugh at the scene. James was covered in flour and trying to beat the elves to the cooking whilst laughing his head off. They walked into the room and greeted the elves, successfully grabbing James' attention in the process.

"You better not be down here trying to sneak bit of dinner before it's time."

Remus threw his hands up in surrender, "We aren't, James. I promise."

Sirius frowned at Remus' words, hoping that they could've snuck a nibble of food. James was an amazing cook and they learned that back in Hogwarts when they used to sneak down to visit the elves.

Remus leaned back against the wall and Sirius hopped up onto the counter. "Hey James, we haven't seen Bill since we've arrived."

"Yeah, he's on a date with the girl who works at the cafe. He's been chatting her up all summer long."

"Ooh chatting her up, huh? That's valuable information, that is," a slow smirk spread across Sirius' face.

"You stop that right there, Padfoot. You get to make fun of Perce when he starts liking girls. I get first dibs on Bill."

The smirk fell away when James started speaking and the room grew quiet save for the sounds of the cooking. Sirius was the one to break the silence.

"So full moon tonight. You coming along Prongs, or are you staying back to help Lil' with the littles?"

"I'll see if I can make it. You'll have to watch for my patronus. Is Wormy coming tonight or is he out of the country for work again?"

"I believe he's over in America right now. I sent him an owl, but he hasn't gotten around to replying yet. We'll see. I wouldn't count on it though, he's only made it to about half of them this year." Sirius said.

"We haven't really seen much of him in a while, have we? He never comes around anymore." Remus is still leaned against the wall, but a line now rests on his brow. "He hasn't been the same since the war ended."

James dipped a stir into the pot and slowly drew circles, "The war changed all of us. You know that."

The conversation stopped there, with soft _hmms_ of acknowledgement from the others.

* * *

 _The house was so still. A deafening calm surrounded the once lively burrow and it's lopsided appearance had lost some of it's charm due to the dark feeling that everyone could sense. Lily reached for James' hand and he gave it a comforting squeeze before they apparated away. The burrow had been Lily's favorite safe house. All of the kids were adorable and Molly always cooked up a great meal for Order meetings._

 _She and James appeared in the foyer of Edgar's late great aunt's home. They were the first of the Order to arrive, even with their pit-stop to see the aftermath. James left her side to light a few candles with his wand and Lily conjured a tablecloth to drape over the dining room table. After placing a few heating charms, the two sat at the table and waited for the remaining members to drift in. It seemed as though everyone was floating through. While so many witches and wizards celebrated the end of the war, their small group was solemn._

 _As all of the members seated themselves at the table, no words were spoken. There wasn't anything to be said. The only sounds that they made were the sniffling of their sobs and murmurs of comfort. Mad-Eye and Albus were the last two to make their appearance. At their entrance, everyone's backs straightened as they awaited the news. Molly and Arthur were very noticeably not seated at the table, but the Order members couldn't help but wish they heard wrong._

" _The children are all accounted for. I should say that they appear to be in proper health, if not for the emotional damage they no doubt will experience. Minerva and Poppy are with them now at the Hogwarts infirmary. I thought that to be a safe place to take them. Molly and Arthur did not survive the attack. Their bodies were recovered from the Burrow two hours ago and are now in custody of the Ministry." Albus' voice was loud in the silence of the room and it felt as though it shattered some last sliver of hope as it resounded across the space._

 _The mood in the room dropped even further at the confirmation of Molly and Arthur's death, but everyone felt some sort of relief in hearing that the children were safe._

" _What about the kids? What's going to happen to them, Albus?" ALice Longbottom, who normally would always be smiling, still sat in her auror robes after working the scene at the Burrow._

" _I will get to that, Alice, if you would be patient with me. First, I think it's important that we discuss matters involving Tom Riddle. His corpse was recovered along with Molly and Arthur's."_

" _He's dead!" Gideon's gasped question was extremely loud in the still air and his voice was cracked from lack of use._

" _Yes, Gideon. The Dark Lord is no more, but I would not go so far as to say that he is dead. The wording rings with an air of finality and for a man who so greatly feared death, I doubt that he would allow his life to slip away so easily. In my understanding, Lord Voldemort is gone today, but this will not be the last you've seen of him," there was a pause in which Dumbledore used to let the information settle. "Now onto the matter of the kids. Molly and Arthur had no care guardians listed so the ministry is the current custody-holder. This is a legal matter that can be very easily dealt with, but for an issue with a much more complicated solution, we do not know where to place the kids."_

" _What do you mean you don't know where to_ place _them? With me and Gid! We're their uncles! That's what Molly would've wanted!" Fabian yelped._

" _Fabian is right," James' voice was strong, but low. "Molly and Arthur would have wanted the kids to go with them."_

" _What they wanted is not always what is right, James, Fabian. The financial situation is a matter that needs discussion. Not to mention that Emmeline and Fabian are going to be married and it is not always advised to be responsible for young children so soon." Dumbledore's hands folded in front of him, and Lily kept her eyes concentrated on the intertwined digits instead of the broken expressions that were painted on the faces of her friends._

" _You think that we care about being responsible for them? Those kids are practically ours anyway! Who else would you place them with? Muriel? Bilius? Like hell. You know that there aren't any better options. And there is no way that I would let you put them in the system. No way that anyone here would let you. Molly and Arthur weren't going to raise them on a king's salary and you know it. We want to do this for Mols. We want to do this for the kids. You don't get to make decisions on their behalf. That isn't your right."_

" _There are matters that need to be discussed besides what was wanted. The children's safety is key and we can't place them anywhere lightly. There are many things to consider here besides the desires of those who can't even speak for them."_

" _You want the kids safe? They need to go with family then, Albus. They are going with me and Fabian. We may not have riches and a mansion, but we can afford to support them. They'll know love. And they will be happy. Our tiny apartment may not be the right option, but we can get something better for them soon. Anyway, it doesn't matter your opinion-family gets final say. And I say that the kids are going with us."_

" _Please consider the responsibility this will burden you with before you agree to take it on."_

" _Albus do you have no emotional range at all? These kids are my niece and nephews! My sister and brother-in-law have_ died _! How dare you call those kids a burden! How dare you disregard Molly and Arthur's wishes! The dark lord is gone! You said it yourself! We don't need to take emotion out of everything anymore! We don't have to be soldiers 24/7! I know that there is still some danger lurking, but I can be responsible for the kids! We can be responsible! Just let us take care of them!"_

 _._


	2. The Kids Aren't All Right

Charlie regretted waking up this morning, as per usual. He despised the fixed routine that had been living for the past six years of his life. He missed the chaos and commotion that used to surround him at the Burrow. There was never a quiet moment back at home, but here at Muriel's, everything was stagnant and monotonous.

Charlie stood in the doorway of the elegant dining room, taking a steadying breath before stepping very deliberately into the room. He took residence at his 'designated spot,' where he could be found every morning, just detachedly standing where he waited for it all to start. The dining room was pristine, not a single piece of wallpaper peeling and the hardwood floors always swept and scrubbed. It had that impersonal perfection to it, the kind that did not hint to people actually using the room. But Charlie knew it was used, knew where the perfection was scratched out with his nails on the floor.

The dining room had china cabinets stacked with fine pieces of glass and silver, worth more than he should ponder on. He wondered about it anyway, left with little else to focus on for the time being. He has wasted days fantasizing about taking all of _her_ silver and pawning it, making enough money to leave. His lip quirked at the daydream as Aunt Muriel enters the room.

Aunt Muriel was very old, with skin that sagged in some places and in others was tugged taught to lift it back to her almost youthful tightness. Her flaming red hair was done in short hairstyle that was pulled back from her sneering face. The short red hair was the most prominent similarity between Muriel and Charlie, something that he abhorred more than anything else. Even with the one common ground being so small, Charlie could not help the distaste the fact left lingering in his thoughts and he always fought to ignore the red mane the best he could.

Aunt Muriel did not endorse the wearing of pajamas to breakfast, instead already wearing her garish suit for tea with her 'friends' in the afternoon. The pea-green suede that decorated her bodice made the paleness of her skin and flaming hair stand out in a grotesque way. The combination of the colors made her look as if she were a Christmas decoration someone dragged out of their basement after trying to pretend it didn't exist for several decades.

Her constant glare landed on Charlie, her eyebrow arching. He felt like bile would come up his throat this time for sure. But it didn't. Instead, the routine had started.

"Good morning Aunt Muriel," Charlie ground out, a grimace on his face. Aunt Muriel huffed in discontentment and slowly made her way to her chair. As she grew even older than any person would think possible, her speed decreased. Charlie swore that he could hear her bones literally groaning every time she moved the slightest bit. He pulled out the chair for her when she finally reached it and then scooted it back into place for her. He was then allowed to serve her breakfast. He knew how she took her tea by now. There were days where he would purposefully mess it up, to spark an argument. But today was the perfect weather for Quidditch and he was not going to let tea be the reason he was to miss it.

After preparing her breakfast for her, he sat down across from her. He ate his breakfast quietly and as fast as he could so that she would not stop and force him to clean the kitchen for his 'rudeness'. She cleared her throat and Charlie internally groaned but let nothing show on his face.

"What hurry you are in, boy," she sneered stirring her tea lazily in the morning light. Charlie could feel his teeth wanting to grind but held them still. He would not play her game today. He did not reply, just ate slower. Charlie looked up once more at the clatter of Muriel's spoon against the table, "I asked you why you are in a hurry. I expect an answer."

Charlie took a breath before answering her, "I misunderstood the question. I am not hurrying, just hungry." His stomach chose that moment to let out a gurgle. Aunt Muriel pursed her lips but went back to her breakfast. Charlie felt his lungs want to give out a sigh of relief but he knew that it was never "just anything" with Aunt Muriel.

"If you had not been so unreasonable last night, you would've had supper," Aunt Muriel supplied, a smirk playing on her lips as she took a sip of tea. Charlie almost dropped his fork at that statement. _Unreasonable! He fell down the stairs disturbing her sleep._ Charlie held his breath, controlling himself in hope of enjoying the beautiful day outside. Aunt Muriel raised her eyebrow, a definite challenge. She knew he wanted to practice Quidditch.

"You must've gotten your bumbling from your mother. Merlin knows that portly-"

Charlie cut off her sentence with the screech of his chair sliding across the floor, hitting the wall behind it. Aunt Muriel smirked at him, her mouse effectively caught in a crude trap.

"Don't. Please don't." Charlie gasped, his blood boiling as he gripped the table. Aunt Muriel released a cruel laugh before she stood.

"You animal! Getting up to attack an old woman!" Aunt Muriel screeched, her wand out. She blasted the table against the wall, just missing Charlie himself. "NOW CLEAN IT UP!" she yelled, her wand still pointed in his direction. Charlie stood there, looked at the mess, and realized he would not be allowed outside today, maybe not for the rest of the week. With nothing left to lose, he picked up the remaining intact tea cup and threw it against the wall near Muriel's head.

"YOU CLEAN IT UP, YOU-" Charlie boomed but was sent flying across the room with a stunning spell. His breath was knocked out of him but he could not move to shudder under the pain. Aunt Muriel stalked slowly towards his prone body and icy fear finally slithered its way through Charlie's veins.

"Insolent child, if only you would've died that night," she sneered leaving him there in the mess of broken bits of glass.

Charlie lost track of time sitting there, waiting for Aunt Muriel to cool down enough to let him go. He would gladly scrub her floors with his own toothbrush if he was just allowed to move. He could feel his panicked breath pinching his unmovable chest, cutting off more and more-

He gasped and rolled onto his side, clutching his sides. Tears are already in the corner of his eyes but he furiously scrubbed them away. He looked up to see the house elf, Dink, in her usual old pillowcase that she wore.

"Mistress wishes for you to clean your mess up," Dink squeaked, holding a dish rag out to him. Charlie stumbled to stand with Dink looking nervously over her bony shoulder.

"Is she taking her afternoon nap?" Charlie asked as he took the rag from her shaking hand. Dink nodded hurriedly and flinched at it. Charlie let out a sigh before kneeling down to her level. "Thank you Dink," he said looking into rather large yellow eyes. She bowed her head to avoid his eyes.

"I did what was asked of me, Master Charlie, nothing more," she said at her feet. Before he stood up once again she spoke once more. "You would have a happier existence if you followed suit," she offered to Charlie before scurrying out of the room. Charlie had nothing to say to that, nothing but a sigh as he started to work on cleaning the room.

After he was done, it was time to get the tea ready for Muriel's guests. He asked Dink to fix the cups, which laid in scattered pieces across the floor. After Dink had repaired them, he set the table for tea and left so as to not be seen by Aunt Muriel's "friends."

Charlie hardly took a breath before he started to run into the wooded area that spread out behind the house. He sprinted hard and fast, not daring to look behind him to see Aunt Muriel was trying to stop him. But no hex went shooting by him. He had safely made it to the hidden alcove he had found when he was just nine years old.

He remembered it being larger when he was younger. Now it was small enough to keep him snug when Aunt Muriel locked him out of the manor. He hid his most precious objects in the tree, knowing Aunt Muriel would exploit his love for those things. He pulled the magically extended bag that held his mementos out from the corner and brought out his broom, a Cleansweep that was salvaged from the Burrow.

Charlie didn't see his other siblings much, and he was the only one of the children that had been sent to Muriel. Quidditch was one of his only escapes from the woman, and he relished in the way it felt when his broom claimed the air. Before prepping to kick off, Charlie grabbed a few acorns from the forest floor and willed them to fly at the speed of snitches. The one good thing that came from living in Muriel's home was that his underage magic couldn't be traced back to him.

Charlie released the breath of air he had held in his lungs as soon as his boom took flight. He raced himself through the trees, speeding up when he started feeling more comfortable on the broom. He felt weightless, like nothing could touch him in the sky. He laughed out loud, grinning like an idiot. Being up in the air always resurfaced memories of pick up games of quidditch back at the Burrow; he loved and hated the memories at the same time. Bill used to tell Charlie all the time that he could go pro as a seeker and Charlie wondered if Bill still believed that.

The thought stopped him in the air. Bill and Charlie hadn't spoken since the summer holidays had started. They hadn't really spoken in about five or six years. Charlie remembered seeing Bill on the Hogwarts express Charlie's first year and how Bill had tried to reach out to him. He just didn't get it, though. Charlue supposed that he unfairly blamed Bill for the way Charlie's life had turned out, but the jealousy and bitterness that coursed through Charlie at just the sight of his siblings was unbearable. They had invited him to stay at the Potter Manor next week, something that they tried to do all the time. Of course Aunt Muriel had burned the letter without telling him. But Dink had told him of the letter, she not being told explicitly not to tell him. If he could get his own owl that knew to deliver to the tree, he could reply to family, maybe try to reconcile with them. Tell them to show up anyway, to bring-

Charlie shook his head. The thought was stupid. Even if he did go, things wouldn't be different. He would still be angry and bitter. The reprieve from Muriel's personal hell house would have been nice, but the summer was coming to a close anyhow. Charlie flew around a little more to collect his acorns from the air and then landed near the tree after noticing how late it had gotten. He put the broom back into the bag. He started towards the manor, praying that Aunt Muriel and her friends were still busy and she hadn't recognized his absence.

He slipped in through his window and snuck down to the kitchen, his hunger finally catching up to him. He saw Aunt Muriel and her friends being served by Dink. One of the women kicked Dink with the the pointed toe of her heels, laughing when the elf crumbled. Muriel shrieked at the spill that was caused, blaming all of it on Dink. Her dingy pillowcase now sopping wet with hot tea, Dink hurried off the kitchen, slipping on the tea that dripped off of her clothing to grab a rag to wipe the mess. They laughed at her dripping wet state and Charlie felt himself grinding his teeth. He knew he should stop them, but also knew that he was starving and wanted food. He turned away from the display of cruelty and thought to himself, _It would happen again anyways._ Charlie knelt to help Dink clean herself up before stealing a roll from the basket on the counter.

He shoved food into his mouth as fast as he could. He shoved some more rolls into his pockets, aware that Muriel might withhold meals if she found out about his flying.

As he was starting towards the stairs again, he heard Aunt Muriel's sharp voice rise up again.

"That boy! Arthur would be proud to see what a squib he is. You know how much of a muggle-lover he was. Boy's still doing accidental magic like a child. I tell you, that is not Weasley blood. That slut must've-"

Charlie practically flew up the steps and away from the conversation, leaving the cruel laughter behind him to the relative safety of his room. He slammed his fist into his bedroom wall, the crumble of plaster falling onto his arm. He pulled it out, detachedly noting that he was bleeding slightly from some of the edges of the wall. He stepped back from the new cavity to sit on his bed, the numbness traveling through his bones.

While he was sitting there for Merlin knew how long, he heard the tell-tale click of being locked into his room and the shuffling of Dink's feet. Charlie rolled over, facing the canvas of foot-shaped and fist-shaped dents he shrouded the wall with. His anger didn't dissipate but he eventually felt the pull of exhaustion take over.

* * *

 _Charlie was staring at the wall. It was plain, easily overlooked, but if you looked closely at it, you would realize that the stone were all slightly different. The one directly on his eye level had a small streak of tan through it and the one to it's right was chipped a little. His body hurts every time he moves but his chest hurts no matter if he moves or not. This kind of pain seems unbearable and Charlie keeps on staring at the wall because if he focuses on that he can stop wondering if the pain was like this or worse when his mother crumpled down right in front of him. His clothes are sticky with sweat and blood but Charlie doesn't pay them much attention. He doesn't know where he is. That stone in the corner looks like it has a blood stain on it. The one under it has a spiderweb. Ron would cry even louder if he knew that there was a spider in here somewhere. Ron doesn't like spiders._

 _Charlie wonders how many stones make up these walls._

 _The twins are fretfully sleeping on the bed next to Charlie's and Percy is still up and holding an arm around Fred and one around George. Charlie thinks it is more for Percy's benefit than theirs. Bill is rocking Ginny as she continues to wail. Ron is sitting at the foot of Bill's bed, screaming like the world is ending. Maybe it is. The stone Bill stands in front of is mainly brown, but it has some gray streaks. Gray streaks like Mom's hair. NO. Don't think about that. The stone next to it is completely brown. The stone under that one has some tan spots._

 _Charlie turns to look at the stones in front of him again, but it's blocked by a woman in an apron. She smiles hesitatingly at him like it pains her to make the expression. Her eyes are a little red and her hair looks like she rolled out of bed. She's speaking to him, but Charlie isn't listening to her. Her hand making contact with his arm jolts his ears back to life._

" _Young man, can you hear me?" the woman asks again, looking like she has asked him multiple times now. He nods. "My name is Madam Pomfrey. May I look at your injuries?"_

" _I don't have any, 'sides this one," he mumbles and motions towards his collarbone. A lightning bolt is burned into his skin, like a brand. Charlie had seen the same type of scar on his siblings. The woman nods then takes notes on a clipboard._

" _Does anything hurt?" her tone is so soft and Charlie can't help but wonder what she is so afraid of. There's no need for her to act like he might break any second. He's stronger than that. Bill is strong enough to try and take care of Ginny. Charlie can hold it together enough to answer some questions._

" _Everything does when I move. My collarbone hurts no matter what," Charlie studies her outfit since he can't see the stones anymore. It's hastily thrown on like she wasn't ready for their company. Funny._

" _Do you need anything, Charlie?" the woman asks, sitting down in front of him. Charlie laughs at that, loud and startling. He continues to laugh, not sure he can stop. The laughs erupt into sobs that hiccup and gurgle. There is a shuffling before the woman wraps her arms around Charlie. He pushes her away and welcomes the dreamless sleep potion she gives him. The last thing he sees is the outline of a man in pointy hat standing in the doorway._

* * *

 **So I know that it's a little shorter than the last chapter and that it's probably all still a little confusing right now, but please bear with us! It's been a fic long in the making and we think that you'll really like it if you stick with it. Thanks for reading and maybe reviewing haha. PM us with any questions you all might have. Love, Julie and O**


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